Feature Friday: Academic Success

Bethany, W. Va. – The 2020 spring semester was a unique one for colleges across the country due to COVID-19. Like everywhere else, Bethany College went to remote learning for the remainder of the semester. Student-athletes, faculty, staff, coaches, just to name a few were forced into a new normal. Everything was done remotely from online classes to team/individual meetings. One thing that remained the same was the outstanding academic support our students receive at Bethany.

Director of Athletics, Steve Thompson stated, "A student-athlete GPA above 3.0 is just fantastic and a credit to the work Meighan and Heather put in throughout the year. These two great young professionals, with support from the entire Bethany community, really pushed our students to excel in these challenging lessons. They competed in the classroom and the proof is in the results. You will not find a better level of academic support for student-athletes that here at Bethany."

Even though the entire Bethany community helped our student-athletes, two members led the charge. Director of The McCann Learning Center Heather "HT" Taylor and Director of Student-Athlete Success Meighan Julbert went above and beyond to make sure our student-athletes had everything they needed to be prepared for the shift to an on-line semester.

Although this was a change for everyone, stress was high and we as a community faced many challenges and the pressure to continue to perform. Our student-athletes persevered and showed resilience.

"Our student-athletes could have easily given up, but instead they fought to finish assignments and to excel in the virtual classroom, many with limited technology and while working full-time jobs" expressed Julbert.

"I'm so proud of our students for not giving up and for finding a way to be successful! There were so many things going against them this term and they really stepped up and showed us that they can persevere and thrive" added Taylor.

Deeper connections were made with students from faculty, staff, and coaches. The Bethany family grew closer and the success of the semester could not have been accomplished without the dedication of the entire campus.

Both Julbert and Taylor tried to bring positivity to our students, whether it was through texts, email, phone calls, hand written notes, or sending care packages with their text books.

"Our students deserve to feel valued and empowered even if they can't come in the gym or our offices, so I did my best to make sure that happened" expressed Julbert.

If you were to walk into either the McCann Learning Center or Meighan's office you would likely be welcomed with a warm smile, snacks and juice boxes. With remote learning, students missed out on visiting their favorite people on campus, but HT added a personal touch by sending post cards and care packages to students. She also made sure to send every 2020 graduate a congratulations card and even made a trip to surprise a student at his house for the completion of comprehension exams.

"I wanted students to know that I was still thinking about and cheering for them even though we weren't physically in the same space" explained Taylor.

Both of these ladies have impacted plenty of students over their time at Bethany.

"Throughout my years of Bethany college HT has always reached out to me and checked on me and many other students just to see if we are okay not about school just to see if we are alright or need to talk she is like the campus mom we all love and appreciate her" stated baseball pitcher, Isaac Wengert.

"Meighan made an impact right away on campus with her continuous support for our academic and athletic success as students she is always there for all student athletes" added Wengert.

Wengert also added that these two woman are perfect examples of the #OneBethany way.

"Meighan has done so many different things for me. Whether its academics, athletics, personal life, or just giving you a shoulder to cry on you can always count on her to be there. The passion she has for her job and the endless time and effort she gives us is beyond what any student could ask for." Expressed dual-sport athlete Gabby Capaldi.

"She has taught me how to be a better leader on the field and even in the classroom and has made me hold myself accountable in several ways. Her overall presence at this school has personally helped me in a lot of ways and I know for a fact that she has made a huge impact on many other students and for that I am truly grateful" added Capaldi.

The #ONEBethany way was a tremendous part of our student-athletes doing so well during the pandemic.

"Our coaches were the real heroes this spring. We asked a lot out of them because they have such strong connections with the student-athletes on their teams. It went beyond "X's and O's" or making sure class attendance was good. In a time where our student-athletes needed servant leaders, they stepped up in big ways and we could not have seen the success we did this spring without them" complimented Julbert.